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CIHM/ICMH

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r>ENIEJL

OB

PANAMA CANAL.

i; .i. fe?/ t. > >

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^f|6 (Bmiiibiiiii ^otii;(i| of 6iuil J}iiginf0rs.
THE PANAMA CANAL.

BY

E. DENIEL,

M. Can. Soc. C. E.

BY PERMISSION OP THE COUNCIL.
EXCERPT MINUTES OF THE THAXSACTIOXS OF THE SOCIETY.

Vol. III. Session 1889.

3ri) JANUARY.

/

PRINTED FOE THE SOCIEir,

Br John Lovkm, & Sox.

1889.

The right of publication and translation is reserved.

The Society will not liold itself responsible for any
statt'irionts or opinions which may bi' advanced in tlie
following pages.

" The jHtprrs shall he (he propertij of the Soc'utu,
and no publication of an;! papers or (Vtscusdon shall
he made, except h;) the Societ/j or under its €Xprcs>^,
permksloii." — Bij-Laiv No. 40.

TIIK I'ANAMA CANAL.

By K. Deniei-, .M. Can. Soc. C. E.

'Iwonty years hardly liiul t'lapsod siiicf tlio discovery of tlu" iifW c»n.
tinont, wIk'ii SaavuJra, a Spaniard, proposed to cut a canal tlironi^h the
Isthmus oJ'IXiricn (1520), and only cij^'ht years later, the PortiiL-uosc,
Antonio Galvao. indicated four diflVnut routes through the Isthmuses
of Mexico, N'ifarairua, Panama and l>arion.

The idea of uniting the Atlantic and Paeitio Oceans has never been
abandoned since, and, successively or simultaneously, Spaniards, Portu-
i^uese, Englislimoii, Frenchmen, Americans, Belt^ians, etc., have explored
the American Isthmus, with the hope of findinr; an ade(|uatc solution
to that miirhty problem. Navi^'ators, soldiers, cni,'ineers, tinanciers,
schol.irs, even princes and kint:s, have been attracted by the desire to
attach their names to tiiat great work, and have devoted to it time,
labor iMid money.

Wealth .ind science, walkintr han<l in hand, cannot fail to attain their
goal, and after two luuuhvil and sixty years of hard toil t!ie execution
of that gigantic enterprise has at last been undertaken.

It is not the object of this communication to give a history or even a
sketch of all the works and di.scoveries made by tlie.se daring pioneers;
but, without in any way lessening the share of fau:e and glory achieved
by the proent promoters ami directors, it mu-t not be forgotten that
they have been reaping the benefit of the explorations made by their
predecessors, and that if to day the [leriod of execution has been opened,
it is due as much to the i)ressing need of means of rapid communication
as to the energy and ability displayed by .Mes-rs. Wi.se, de Le.^seps,
and others.

Tlie meeting of the " Cnngre- Inteniati..Mal," in 1S79, the fornntion
of the "Societ*'' Iiiternatiunale du C.nial Liternc6ani(|Uo dc Pan una," in
1880, and the opening of the works in 1S81, aroevents still fresh in every
meuioiy; we will therefore enter at once into a description of the pro-
po.sed Panama Canal, and of tlie works exoenteil up to Januiry Isi,
1888.

The length of the eanal is. from deiji water to deep water. 7,') A'',-,",^
kilometers, or 47 -j'-'V miles. StartinutVom Colon, on the Atlantic Coast,
the canal follows the shore of Limon Bay for some three miles, and
about three miles further strikes the valley of the ilio CIui'mvs. crossin"
for the fir-t tim- the bed of that river; then it follows the general
direction of that valley up to (Jamboa. a dist nice of 22-; miles. At

4 Di'nkl on Panama Canal.

that, piiiiit, till- Iiio ClniiroscliiiM'ic.'^ its course nearly at ri-^lit iiii;;los. but
tin- c'iiiiii! continues IVriu In iv in a nearly stniiglit line towards tlicslidre^
nl' llie I'acilic ()e 'un. followin-j; first the valley of tlic Kio Ohi-po, one of
the tributaries of the Itio Cha'„'ros, for about five miles. There it has
reaehod the baekb >n<' oi' the Istliunii ; no more valk-ys, no uion' " rios,"
but only ■■" <h'pres>inn in the ehain of mountains thai liav.' formed
iib.irrierb tw.'cn the tA'o Oc 'un-i. Throui^'li this, bar Uy two miles, passes
the canal. On the wc-t-rn .slope, the valley of the ]{io Gramle brings
it to the sea-shore eitilit miles distant, and a eut in i'anama liay three
wiles and a half in lenLrth, is all that is now neeiled to reach deep water.
The ]{io (.'ha-res, Rio Obispo, and Rio (Irande are very tortuous,
wintlini.' rivers, running with a swift current, earryini: aloiij: trees and
debris ol' all sort-*, constantly formini,' shoals of those materials, and
shiftini,' them here and there. Properly sjieakiii.t; they arc torrents, and
their diseharge v.aries within very considerable limits, but within very
phort periods of time. Tlie llioChaj;res, for instance, has, at(Jainb!)a, a
discharge ol' 2,r)00 j:allons per .second during tlu' dry season, but this
increases to -i;5,00(» gallons per sectiud during the wet season, and is
known even to have b'cn 130,t)00 during freshets. These freshets
arc very riipid ; it is a common occurrence for this river to rise thirty
feet in a few hours, and there are on record, though fortunately not fre-
quent, instances of sudden rises of fifty feet.

The plan at first proposed by Mr. Wise was to create in rear of
Ganiboa an immense reservoir, of a sufiicient capacity to hold the water
coming from the upper part of the river during these fresliets, with
outlets allowing a discharge of 43,000 gallons per second. The creation
of that basin would have necessitated the erection ol' several dams, the
inain one being nearly one mile in length, one hundred and fifty feet in
hcidit, seven hundred and ninety feet in width at top, and three thou-
sand one hundred and fifty feet at the base. As the bed of alluvial
depcsit is at that ))oint ninety feet thick, this dam was to have
been built of clay and rock, without any more masonry than would have
been necessary for the sluice ways. The maximum height of the water
in rear of this dam would have been 125 feet. Twenty-five millions
of cubic yards of materials had been calculated as being required for

this work.

That solution, however, has since been di-scarded by the engineers as
too bold, while at the same time it did not aflFord a sufiicicntly satisfac-
tory Bcttlement to the difficulty. It was finally decided not to admit any
water course into the canal, but to dig beds for the rivers on both sides.
However a very large dam will have to le built at Gamboa, but without

II

Dcn'id on Punama Camd. 5

any .■'1 nice ways, the course of tlio Ilio CliaiirL'.-t beii)<5 doflootcil tliroui^h
a new ohannol, on tlio li'ft side of the oiiiial. (*)

Tliis (liiiii will l)t' iil)Out SO t'cot ill liciLrlit. l.tlOO feit in length, iinJ
8<> ftot. ill width on thu top, its two (.'xtn'niitifs huttinir ai^aiiist the
corros Siiiitii C'niz and Oliispo. It will lie built of tlu' luateiials ex-
cavated from the heavy cuttiii'jrt near by, the core bvin<: made of clay
and the outi r surfaces covered with broken rock. The slopes adopted
for the sides will be 2 to 1 for tlic upper one, and 5 to 1 for the lower
one.

From (iaiiil)oa to the sea, the 10 detlection.s of the Rio (Jha|j;re!i
oggrejrato 20} miles in length, the total fall of the river being some 45
or r>0 feet.

The Jfio Obispi) flows in the ('ha'^ros near fJaniboa, but on the
right side of the eaiial, and its course generally lies on that side up to
the point wlieiv it runs also jit rii;lit angles to its former dinetion, on
the l"ft side ol' tlie canal. This river will be deflected on the ri',i;ht side
of the ciiiial, down to the sea, or rather down to the point where the
actual Ud of the Ilio Chagres leaves the line of the canal to run towards
Limnii Bay.

This will necessitate the building of a flume bridge at kilometer 52,
thrown across the canal at the height of 180 feet above sea level. This
flume bridge, designated on the phiu as '• 2nd pout biiche,'' will carry the
waters of the Ilio Obispo and of Lake Lapita by means of two
troughs, etich G ff. 8 in. x (i ft. 8 in. A similar bridi;e will be built at kilo-
meter 48 jY/p t^^ curry over the eanal the waters of the Lake Margarita
and of the Ilio Sanlanilla ; the height of this bridge will be l."55 feet
above sea level. The length of these flume bridges will be about 500
feet. All the tributaries uf the Rio Chagres, coming from the right side of
the canal, the Uios Caravuli, L'ulo Steo. Ilaila ALinos, Caimito, Trinidad
etc., will be collected in these deflections, their aggrcg.ite length being
21} miles.

On the Pacific Coast, the rivers will be dealt with in a similar way,
the Rio ti'rando being deflected on the right side of the canal, and the
Rios I'edro-^Iiguel, Caimitillo, Cardenas, etc., will bo deflected on the
left side. A lew only uf these last deflections have been located,
ag'jregating 4^ miles in length.

(') The starting point of the centre lineof tiie Panama Canal is at Colon,
and ail tho„worl<s, iletleetioii:*, etc., are alsu niiinlieivd from tiie .same point,
and referred to as being on the right or left side of tiie canal, as they woulil
be on the right or lell hand side of a man walking along the centre line
towards Panama.

i.

6

Dcviel on I'ancnrui ('mini.

TliiTc iiro iilsii otlicr iiifiiK'iital works, as di llirtioiis nl" tlic I'liiiaiiiu
Railroad, at siu'li idaccs wliorf tlio canal or the ilt fliolinns of
rivt'M an- inUTferinir with tlio railway trar-k. Tlii'so will Iju six in
iiuiiilKr, Mill will aiigro'^atf ubnul 1\ iiiilo in liiiLrili. A .swiiiu;l»ri(l;;;i!
will liavo til ln' liuilt acrn^s tlii- canal near San I'alilo, lictwi'cii kilnnio
tiTs ."i.^and o<I. and aiKitlicr will he thrown across the canal near I'cdro-
Mii:(i('l hctwecn kiloinct ts ')!* and fiO.

The dimensions iidojiti'd for the (ido hvcl canal were :

Width at Ixittoni 72 feet.

iK'l'th ol" water heli.w mean sea K-Vel 'J'.' It. (i ins.

.Slo|ii's IVoiu liottoni to (I tt. 7 ins. above water, iinilornily 1 to 1

Width of lierms on each side (! It. 7 ins.

Slopes above the beriiis, accordini,' to the nature ul" the {jfround,

generally IVoni 1 in 1 to 1 in 4.

Neur I'aiiania, a pair ol' tidal i,'atos would have in any ca.sc been
neccs.sary on account ol' the difference in the hei^'lit of the tide iu
the two oceans. At Colon the difference ol' level between high
and low tide is only 2 feet, while it is 20 feet at I'anama. ('onse<|uently,
tlio j'anama end of the canal, beyond the tidal •rates or lock, will be
deepeneil to i>0 feet below mean sea level.

FollowinLi in its course the buttom of the valleys, and runni'iL,' between
the eerri)«, the canal h:is, as before st ited, a lenj^th of 47|'„-'„ miles,
while the distance between its two extremities, measured in a straight
line, is but 40] milcH.

Of these 47 miles, 25, V,r niiles are tanjjents, while the balance, or,
21 ,"/jj miles, is composed as follmvs :

2 curves ofl.UlH) metres radius, agj^rciiatiii:^ 1.2S miles.

3 " " :5,5<H( *> '' '• 4.44 "
10 " " 3,(10" " " " ]2.:!!t "

4 '■ " 2,500 •• " " ;{.55 "

The harl)our of Colon, near the lottom of Limoii IJay, is far from
being safe and secure, and it is t'le intention ol tlie ("anal Company to
enlarge that entrance of the cnnal to a width of ICt.'iO feet for a distance
i)f 27, miles. This harbour, protecteil at its entrance by a terre-plein
lornied of the materials coming from the excavation of the canal, will
afford to the shijps a much needed protection, and at the same time will
be very valuable for the local commerce. The buildings of the com-
pany in Colon are erected on that terre-plein, on which stantlsa eolos.sal
statue of Christopher Columbus, the oidy work of art in the country.

A meeting basin, 2i miles long, will also be provided at some nine-
teen mile.s from Colon, and another one eighteen miles further on, on
the western slope.

Deniel on PaiKtmu Canal. 7

A (Utniluil jji-olojiiical dexcriptiim of ilic ilifViTint tdrrniitioiiH met on
tlio Hill- of tlie cuiiiil wituM '.Ml Car Im'}iiii(1 tlio liiuits of tliis MU'uiiict
skt'tcli. ill wliicli a mere iiiuiition of tlin priiiciiial ri-utiires of tliu
J'utiiiiiiii Canal Wnik- is all tliat «'aii Im; att»'iii|itt'tl. However liricfly dca
erilxd. tlic course ol' llie canal niiis lur a liistaiiei; ol' li" niilis tlironj;li
uiuil, saml, j,'rav('], peat, niictuous and aifiiacoous elay, iiieetiiiL' occa-
sionally with I»im1s ol' soft calcari'ous tufa, arf^illous sciiist, liuiestouo
coiiLiioiiiorale, sand>toiit' und ar;;ilite, tlie a-^jjrcjate len<,'tli of thcuo
roeky fuinintiniis Inin,' .»nly :\\ miles, Tlieii llir 13 miles, the cut
runs thrnnj^h a ina»n|' hard. ii;nooiis, vitreoiis and metamor|iliie rocks,
in which ])redoniinate coinpiei liuie.stone, volcanic ag'omerates, hard
Handstonc, hasalts, aru^ilite, carhonaccous «liale. aron!>ci;ous tufa, «!te,,
covered however with a thick layer of chiy and earth. On tin- wcsteru
shores of tlie Isthinn-i, and in I'aii una FViy the canal rnns throujili
beds of clay, sand, ;;ravtl, mud and shells, for a distance ol some
seven miles.

At the end cf the year 1HH7, just seven years after the be^innini.' of
the works, th-^ Panama Canal Company found itself in a very difficult
position. It 'lad already incurred liabilities far cxceedill^ tlie cost of
the canal as estimated by the coni:;ress of Paris (S_'0!>,()()(». (»(»(() ; its
financial departm-nt recjuiivd .some 15 or 1<* millions of dollars
annually ; the treasury was nearly empty ; .seven-twelfths of the time
allowed by the charter to complete tlie works had gone by; and yet,
there was hardly one 'juarter of the excavation done, an 1 that even the
easiest portion.

It is true that immense preparations had been made. The Isthmus, and
let this be borne in mind, enjoys the well de.-erved rejiutation of having
the most insalubrious climate ; there were no population, no agriculture,
no manufactures, no trade, nothing, absolutely nothing there to depend
up(ni or to help in the construction of the canal, except however the
Panama Kailmad. Everything had and has to bi' imported : laborers,
contractors' plant, dwelling houses, all sorts of materials and .supplies,
even meat, butter, milk and water ! To do this alone denotes on the
part of the promoters indomitable energy and unshaken faith in the ulti
mate success of their enterprise. Mlunders may have been committed,
money may have been .>^pent with a lavi.sh hand, but such faults arc
inherent in all great works and almost beyond man's control.

The plant alone compri.ses : Fifty steam dredges of the most power-
ful built; thirty tugs ; two hundred .scows; one hundred and twenty-
steam excavators; two hundred locomotive engines; six thousand
large dumping cars; two hundred miles of standard-gauge railway;

8

Dcniel on Panama Canal.

one liundrod and ten miles of narrow gauge portable railway, with
seven thousand small dumping cars ; mie hundi-ed and thirty portable
engines ; live hundred pumps ; three large work-shopa spleuditlly
equipped ; twenty conveyors ; over 11,000 lengths of large pipes for the
transportation of excavated materials ; dwelling liouses, offices, shanties,
of all descriptions and without number ; and M lally, two large hospitals,
one of then), the Panama Hospital, being certainly one of the best equip-
ped in the world, as it is also probably one of the most costly.

The climate of the country is not only fatal to man and beast, it also
exerts a destructive action on all kinds of materials, and consequently
a constant supply of new plant has to be kept up.

The force employed on the works may be estimated at twenty thou-
sand men, mostly Jamaicans. They stand the rigour of that deadly
climate better than any other race, and the yellow and Panama fevers
do not make such havoc among them as among the laborers of white or
yellow extraction.

One of the most important sources of delay, as one of the most uncon-
trollable, is that the dry season lasts only from four to live mouths, and
that, perforce, the works have to be partly suspended during the wet
season. Then occur sudden freshets; the ground, thoroughly soaked,
slides in all directions ; the railway tracks are carried away, or sink
under the weight of the cars ; and above all, exposure to the rain is, to
a European, nearly equivalent to a death warrant.

However, let the enormous difficulties that have been successfully
surmounted bo almost without number, the preparations be as extensive,
thorough and complete as possible, yet the fact remains that, by tho
end of 1887, the hope of completing the tide level cau;d, within a
reasonable time and at a remunerative cost, had to be given up, and it
was then resolved to mcidify the originally contemplated plan and to
jirovisionidlji resort to another solution. The modifications adopted
consist of the temporary substitution of a lock canal fur the tide level
canal, and the reduction of the draught of water in the canal to 27
feet, all through, except at the entrance at Panama.

Ten locks, 590 feet long, GO feet wide, will be built, six of them
having a fall or ri.se of 3G ft. 1 in., three a fall or rise of 20 ft. 3 in., and
one of 35 ft. 3 in., on account of the tide on the Pacific coast. The total
rise will be IGO ft. 9 in. The locks are not to be located on the centre
line of the canal, but either to the right or to the left, so as not to
interfo:^ with the subsequent deepening and widening. They are also
so arranged that corresponding locks on either side of the summit reach

Deniel on Panama Canal.

9

have equal falls*, and conse(iucntly may be successively done away with
by [lairs.

The location of tlie locks lias been dotcrniined by the nature of the
gTouiul : Lrick No. 1 will be built on a h<:t\ of limestone ; Locks Nos.
2, 3, 4, 5, <I, on hard sandstone; Licks Xos. 7 and 8 on conglomerate;
Lock Xo. 9 on dnluritc; and Lock No. 10 on hard tufa.

It is estimatod that some fifty millions of cubic yards of material will
have to be removed to coniplete the lock canal, and tiie transformation
of this to the tide level canal will embrace the removal of an additional
mass of from 65 to 100 millions of cubic yards of material, ncconling
to tlic nature of the ground and tlie slo[»es adopted for the cuttings.

The alimentation of the lock canal will not oftVr any very serious
difficulty. The waters of the Upper Obispo, and Upper Iiio Grande
will be utilized, and, when necessary, the water will be pumped from the
Ili(j Cliagres into the upper reach. It has been estimated th;it for a
daily traffic of ten ships, this service will be effectually insured by the
action of steam puu)ps of 4,000 hor!?e-power. But this lock canal is at
best a lame solution; the expenses comiccted with its maintenance will
be very heavy, endjracing, besides the pumping, constant dreilgiiig, ne-
cessitated by the growth of sub-marine vegetation and Ity the large
proportion of alluvial nsatter carried by the waters of the rivers of this
region ; the locks would have to be frc([uently renewed ; therefore it is
understood that these last described works are only provisional.

The principal features of the charter of the Canal Company are :

A grant from the Colombian government of five hundred thousand
hectares of land, with till the minerals therein, besides all the gi und
reijuired for the canal, wharves, roads, stations, buildings of all descrip-
tion, etc., provided it is not private pro2)erty.

On the other hand, the Colombian government is to enjoy the free
use of the canal and a participation of at least five per cent, in the gross
earnings of the Compnny, this, however, being never less than two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year.

The company also agrees to bear all the expenses connected with the
maintenance of the military forces required to insure the security of
the interoceanic transit.

At the end of ninety-nine year.s, computed from the opening of navi-
gation, the canal and all its appurtenances will become the property of
the Colombian government.

10

Denicl on Panama Canal.

Table showing the lengths of tho reaches ana their respective levels:
N.B. The datum or zero level is tho moan level of the sea.

Colon harbor.
1st J {each.
2ud ••

Lenirthsin'^^^'^■^'^^/'f^'»t-
iniles. ^to"'r" .'-^''ches

111 IcL't.

llemarks.

From d.

^1

) watt

r to shore

Includii

'A

Lock No. 1

u

ii

X... 2

(k

u

No. 3

(1

ti

No. 4

((

u

Xo. 5

Summit

reach.

Ineludiu

•A

Lock No. n

t(

(.

Xo. 7

<i

<;

X... 8

u

u

Xo. 9

If

<i

Xo. 10

From shor

e to d

ecp water.

DEFLECTIONS.

Left Bank.

Right J3;ink.

L"ngths in

Rivers

Leniiths ill

Rivers

Xos.

m es.

deflected.

miles.

defle. led.

J

GA>i

Ikio Chagres.

1.43

Rio Obi.-po,^c.

2

5.21

.37

..

3

l.U

((

3.84

(.

4

.45

iC

2.05

(•

5

.85

((

1.03

.(

6

1.22

(1

2.1!»

11

7

2.7'J

((

.57

a

8

.38

((

1.24

u

9

1.12

<(

2.51

((

10

.98

((

.i

11

1.24

Lk. Mnrixarita

.05

;<

12

0.(J4

" Liipita

.18

:

I2bi8

.57

Rio Obispo.

13

.84

Rio Pedro Mi-

.83

«

14

<rucl.

"1 . ^

15

a

[1.68

«

16

1.18

Rio Grande.

17

2.73

^l

Totals..

23.5(5

22.75

Deniel on Panama Canal. 11

DISTANCE 15ETWKI.N SOMR IlARMOirilS. I\ NAUTICATi MILES.

Via

Via

Dlffercnco.

Capo Horn.

Panama Cimal.

Loudon ti> Sail Francisico,

13.795

8,135

5,600

— Honolulu,

13.!I15

9,55(1

4.359

Livei'iMiol — Sail Francisco,

13,(;78

7,897

5,781

Le Havre —

13,(;27

7,949

5,67S

Uonloaux — Valparaiso,

8,675

7,239

1,436

Neu-York —

S.550

4,574

3,976

— Panama,

11.057

1,9G(J

9.091

'• — (Jallao,

!l,791

2.333

6,488

— rruya(|uil,
" — San I'Vanoisoo,

10,441
1,3,334

2,808
2.4(i8

7,633
9,056

F^om the Drawini^s accompany in.; this paper. Plates I tfc H have
been prepared.

DISCUSSION.

In answer to various (juestions propounded by Messrs. Ilannaford,
J. Krniiody, roterson, Parent and Prof. Bovey, 3Ir. Deuiel replied .13
follows : —

By the firsf January. 18Sf^, tlie amount of excavation completed rang-
ed bc.'tweeri JJO and 40 millions of cubic yards, and there were still about
150 million cubic yards to bo removed; rougidy speaking, about oue-
fourth of the work had becu done.

Probably no one really knew the total cost of the work remaining to
be tinislicd. as it was very difficult to make an estimate.

lie tliouglu that the difficulty of completion did not lie in the work
itself, but in the matter of raising the money. The great mistake made
by the promoters had been in bi\ginning the work with a small capital,
about SOO.UOO.OOO, whereas their liabilities had already reached some
$300,00(>.()0(».

He considered that 8100,000,000 would be sufficient to finish the
work, which would undoubtedly stand, as there would be no danger from
freshets, and the canal would only be destroyed by an eartluiuake.

The work was superintended by the Panama Canal Co., which had
given contracts to the following firms :

Societe de Travaux Publics et Constructions, 15 rue Loui.^-lo-Grand,
Paris.

M3I. Vignaud, Barbaud, Blanlcuil Si, Cic, 19 rue Louis le-Grand,
Paris.

MM. Baratoux, Letellicr & Cie., 4 rue do Home, Paris.

3ni. Artigue, Sonderegger iS: Cie., 1 rue de la Bourse, Paris.

^I. Jacob, 11 Place du Commerce, Xantes.

The American Contracting & Dredging Company, Xew York.

The canal is divided into five divisions; each one under the charge
of a divisional engineer and staS", appointed by the Company.

The first division runs from Colon to kilometer 2(jiyg''u. The works,
principally dredging, are carried out by the American Contracting ifc
Dredging Co., for the canal, and by Mr. Jacob, for the deflections of
the Rio Chagres on the left bank of the canal.

The second division runs from kilometer 26,^/0 *-'' kilometer 44.
The contractors are MM. Vignaud, Barbaud, Blanleuil Si Cie. Their
plant consists of excavators, conveyors, dredges, large and small dumping

Discussion on Panama Canal.

13

cars, etc. The steam excavators and convc)'ors do not do as much
work as was expected of them. They do not work much more than
onc-thh"d of the tune, wliile the negroes work at least two tliirds.

The third division runs from kilometer 44 to kilometer 53,'^,V'o-
There lies the lieaviest part of the work. The contractors are the
Sociute de Travaux Puhlics ct Constructions. Tliey use very large aud
heavy plant, steam excavators, hroad gauge railways, etc.

The fourth division runs from kilometer 53 //j"f, to kilometer 57.
The contractors are MM. Artigue, Sonderegger & Cie. This division,
as the preceding one, is mainly through rock cutting, and the plant
employed is of the same description in both cases. The work here is
carried on day and night with the aid of the electric light.

Tiie fifth division runs from kilometer 57 to kilometer 74, ,^„Y„ in
Panama Bay. It is under contract with MM. Baratoux, Leteilier &
Cie., aud it is mainly dredging. In the Panama Bay the material
dredged was very soft, and conse(iuently the work has been easy, but
the sand for a long time kept running into the cut in such quantity,
that once, during a whole week, one of the elevator dredges employed
there was kept at work on the same spot, its buckets coming up full all
the time. Conseciuently the width of the cut in the Bay of Panama is
considerably larger than elsewhere. However, this portion of the work,
that is from deep water to La Boca, is now completed to the full depth
and width.

The heavy plant, comprising dredges, excavators, cars, rails, engines,
dwelling houses, etc., belongs to the Panama Canal Company, and is
rented by the contractors, who furnish only the small tools, such as
picks, shovels, crow-bars, drills, etc.

The deepest cut is at the Culebra. On the centre line, it measures
there 107 metres above canal bottom, but the left side of the cut starts
from a point 70 metres higher, near the summit of the Cerro Culebra,
and at a distance of ^-8,0 Qj: metres from the centre line. By the adop-
tion of the new plan, the depth will be reduced to about 180 feet on the
centre line. The centre line of the new canal will be the same as at
present, but the locks will be located either on the right or on the left
of it, in order to interfere as little as possible with the contemplated
subsequent deepening and widening.

The Cerro Culebra is a hill of some height. It does not slide bodily
towards the canal as it has been wrongly reported, but sinks, and pro-
duces heavings in the canal, and occasional slidings. This, however,
could not go on for ever, as the core of the mountain is made of rock;

/ S" '?' ^"^

14

Discussion on Panama Canal.

it would have to stop souie time, but till then there was nwthiug to do
but to keep removing the iiiiitorial. Tliese heavinjjs were at one lime
so s. .;den that in the uiorninj;-, the excavators, cars, rails, etc., were
frequently found on a considerably hif-her level than that on which
they had been left on the previous evening, and, oi' course, more or less
damaged.

Jle thought, however, that the trouble would soon stop; there was
not as much movement as there iiad been. In consequence of these
disturbances, the cross sections had had to be extended '.i or 4 hundred
feet beyond the summit of the slope, in order to have at least an
approximate idea of the quantity of material removed by the contrac-
tors. There are bench-marks built of masonry on both sides of the canal,
and these are checked by similar bench-marks built along the Hue of
the Panama JJailroad,

The idea of the high dam has been given up, but there will still be
one of some 80 feet in height (.«ee page 4).

The work in the deflections was not different from the work in the
canal, nor did it entail any more difficulty.

The I'auama Canal Co. does iidt do any of the work, but f'ivcs it
out to the l;;:-gc contractors who generally sublet it to smaller compa-
nies. The work is measured up by the engineers of the Panama Canal
Co., and by the engineers of the contractors, always acting together
and cheeking each other. One source of delay in the progress of the
works has been in the periodical freshets of the rivers, ■ ccially of the
Chagres. The custom was to give a subcontractor either one deflection
or a ji'iigth (if canal comprised between two bends of the river. The
operations usually begin about the middle of ])ecember and continue
until about the middle of May, when the rainy season sets in. Xutur-
ally the sub contractors make use of the bed of the (^hngres as a spoiliu"-
gnmnd; the river carries to the sea part of the spoil, but nut the whole
of it, and when it rises it carries back part of it into the canal, and
the .speaker has seen raihvay tracks buried under six feet of earth.

'J'he speaker is not well posted on the financial position of the com-
pany, nor as to its expectations, but be has read that tlie transoeeanic
traffic had been estimated at 0,000,000 tons annually. Tlie Canal
Company, according to its charter, is allowed to charge 15 francs or
83 per ton, and at these ligures it would have an income of $18,000 -
000 per year. This seemed reasonable, but it is well to understand
that the fan at the Panama Canal is not the same as elsewhere. In
France, for instance, the official tonnage of a sailing ship is obtained by

^^

Discussion on Pananta Canal.

15

niultijilyin^ tnm'tlier tlic tlirio (rnmnsioiis of tlic liull in metres, and
dividini: the product by JJ.ftO ; for stcanisliips, the result thus ohtaincl
is further re(hiee<l by 4(» per cent. Hut, at i'ananiu, tlie outside lenj.'th
and greatest wiilih, at water line, and the draft (in metres) will be
multiplied together, and the result will be the number of ton.son which
the tolls will be eollected. Jf, therefore, the>^e rules were to be adhered
to. the duty at Panama would be nearly trebled, and would amount to
about !?!) j)er ton.

J\eplyin<i to Mr. ITannaford, who asktd where the money was comiu"
from to complete the works, the speaker said th;it he liad no doubt the
people of France would furnish the re((uired capital. The company.s
liabilities were to-day, aceordin;^' to Mr. deLesseps himself, three hun-
dred millions of dollars ; but this enormous sum does not represent the
money actually spent on the works. Tlic discount on the loans had
been as high as 4(1 per cent., as, for instance, in the loan of 1883, for
300,000,000 i'rancs, which produced 171 millions without any deduc-
tion for brokerage, etc. Hp to 1881 (he hail not the figures for a later
date), the couijiany had assumed liabilities for 018 millions of francs,
while it had only received 734 millions.

The company had tlieu for years been paying interest on money they
had never received, and that could not bo kept up long without some-
thing' like a cra-h occurring. However, the work ah-eady done and
the plant on the Isthmus could not be estimated at less than 100 million
dollars. If t!ie works were suspended all this would be lost, but with
another 100 millions of dollars applied to the works the canal could be
opened to traflie, and all then could be saved.

iJepIying to Professor Bovey as to the probability of tlie Canal bein"-
taken in hand by Great Britain, Prance and the United States, as an
international work —

3Ir. K. i)eniel said tliat would be contrary to the charter of the
compiny, which forbade the alienation or mortgage of any of its privi-
leges to a foreign nation or government ; any Irausgression of this
would nullify thecliaiter. The company had 12 years in which to do the
work, so that it has now about five years to complete tlie canal, and it
does not seem that a momentary suspension of the 0[ierations would
affect its rights. There is also a clause in the charter providing for a
I'urther extension of six years, if at the end of the first twelve years
the works are so i'ar advanced that their completion within tlie extended
period may appear probable.

The charter does not make any mcntioa of the caual beinu cither a

1

16

D'lucusi^lon on Panama Canal.

sea level or lock canal. By the luodilication inaJe in the former
pchcmo, froui a sca-lcvcl to a lock canal, the proportitm of work already
done, has increased from one (juartcr to ono-lialf of the total amount, so
that the completion of the canal, which was douhtful oven during the
eighteen years, is now possible and even probable within th'- twelve
years.

The money already advanced has come principally from France;
very little having been contributed by the United States or other
countries.

He also thought the pooplt; of France would advance the additional
amount reijuired. It is well to know that it is very diflieultto ;iseertain
the exact state of things concerning the canal and the tinaneial condition
of tiie company. Mr. de Lesscps had \ery powerful enemies, even
in France, ready to take hold of the enterprise if thoy had the opjior-
tunity. When the speaker was in Panama last winter, he wondered
of what use the large contracting firms with the expi-nsive staff of
engineers, accountants, clerks and other employees, couM be, since the
work was actually performed by the sub-contractors, but he was told
that nobody there expected to sec the canal compiuiy earry out the works
to the end ; but if it could push it far en agh, then, when the money
would become scarce, the contractors could and would bring their res_
pective contracts to completion, and be recouped out of tlie first pro-
ceeds of the canal. All the firu^s above mentioned are backed by large
French banking establishments which could come forward in an emer-
gency.

On the 1st Jan., 1888, Messrs. Slaven & Co. were Air from liaving
finished their work, having then done about three-fifths of it. It was
all dredging through mud, sand and clay, with the exception of four
ledges of rock aggregating about two miles in length. The plant used
by Messrs. Slaven k Co. (American Dredging and Contracting Co.)
has been described above, and consists of elevator dredges. The
materials excavated are deposited on each side of the canal, through the
" long couloir." The result of the operations has been the drain;ige of
the marshes and the consolidation of the ground through the region
traversed by the canal in the neighbourhood of Colon. The works had
been opened simultaneously at different places, the dredges having been
sent up by the Rio Chagres, and, when in position, dredging in the line
of the canal on both sides of the river.

The accompanying plans (Plate I) show all the work done in the canal
and deflections up to January 1st, 1888, the work remaining to be done

DtKCi(»fi!o/i mi Panama Canal.

17

ill tlie former
of Work already
otiil auiouiit, so
voM tlurini:; tlie
liin th.' twelve

) from France;
states or other

the atlilitional
lilt to ascertain
iieialconditiou

enemies, even
uul the oppor-
, he wondered
isive staff of
I be, since the
t ho was told
mt the works
en the money
■iug tlieir res.
the first pro-
'ked by large

ill an emcr-

'Vom havins:
It was

It.

ption of four
0 plant used
ncting Co.)
dges. The
through the
draiu;ige of
the region

works had
laving been

in the line

n thecan;d
to be done

to complete the lock canal, and the work snbsetjuently to '^ic done to com-
plete the .seu level canal.

Mr. Deniel could not give any information as to the hiuh charges on
ocean I'reights, or whether sucli charges would prove prohibitive. Ifo
iiad not studied all tlu; different aspects ol' the (piestion of the Panama
C'anal, but simply the engineering features of the enterprise.

The IbUowing statement, as givini: more detailed information con-
cerning the financial position of the Panama Ca'ial Company, may bo
of interest to the members: —

On January 1st, 1888, the liabilities of the company amounted to
S;52L),50r>.l(M», as follows:—

Original capital $(iO.OOO,()0(>

i.oan of 18S2 bearing interest at 5 per cent 25,000,000

(10,000,000

:]4,129,200

(>,S37,500

!n,7('0,000

51,778,400

((

1 A%?,

'A

u

((

1884

4

(i

(•

1885

4

((

(1

188(;

•]

<<

u

1887

*>

a

Total

From which must be reduced :

Promoters" shanks (10.000 at SlOO) 81,000.000

I)i>eonnt on loan of 1882 .'{,12'). (MM)

lvS83 2:),S(>0,()00

" 1884 8,809,r)(»0

1885 l,T(i5 000

'• " 1S8(J r)1.4('.2,50r)

1887 28,l)9(v}55

Leaving a sum of.

Hi-presenting the cash raised up to that
date. The amount paid up to the same
date on interests, amorliz;ition, broker-
age, etc., etc., is about .

Interest paid on original capital

interest and amortization on loan, 1882...

" " 1888...

" " " 1884..,

" " " 1885...

« " •' 188(1...

Si:5.r)00,ono

8,500,000

1 1 .784,000

(),0G 1,347

815,08(»

4,588,(i00

S321>,505,10Q

120,058,300
§208,540,740

/ 1

L

^'^ DlMniliixioil on rHiKlnlU C((,l,lf.

Urokcrs' ami liuiiki-rs' \Ws, say L'.'. piT ci-iit.. S,2.'>T,(i2S

("usli puiil i;.r fhiirtcr to pntinoU'is I.IMKI.OOO

I'lfliiiiiiiaiy ».'X|H'|)si's 4,52<H)I»<»

I'iiiiiiiiiii IJailwiiy (dS.n.'Jit.iit oI'lO.OOO

•""''•"■''"* Is.T-n.oun 77.7S1, (;(»:,

Loavini; a sum of glMOJC.-).!;!.-.

to tlofray all cxiKMisfs such as salaries, buildiiijvs, phint. cscavatioii, etc..
•'U'., iiiclM.lii.i: S2r),(>00.fl()() j;,r tlio i-onsM-m-tion ..C llu- looks.

n*\ wso d«l Araijtn

^

,^

n

no m — to

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(^derivations (Rive Cauahe

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m

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m

"M"

PANAMA CANAL -PLATE I.

■^7 KO

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I I

a a

KILOMETKES 1

z

PROFIL GEOLOGIQUE SUIVANT L'AXE DU CANAL

PANAMA CANAL.

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68

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70

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71

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72

73

74